


Not Hollow

by DeckofDragons



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Aunty Hornet, Gen, Ghost isn't hollow, Hornet being a good sister, Post Game, Post the Hollow Knight Ending, She lies to herself about Ghost some though, The Knight is Called Ghost (Hollow Knight), she adopts Grimmchild and takes care of Hollow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24837394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeckofDragons/pseuds/DeckofDragons
Summary: Ghost takes on the responsibility of containing the Radiance. There's a problem though, they're not hollow either, making the solution temporary. In the meantime, Hornet is left caring for Grimmchild and the Hollow Knight.
Relationships: Grimmchild & Hornet (Hollow Knight), Grimmchild & The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel, Grimmchild & The Knight (Hollow Knight), Hornet & Quirrel (Hollow Knight), Hornet & The Knight (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Knight
Comments: 46
Kudos: 153





	1. The Hollow Knight

**Author's Note:**

> A while ago now I had the idea for a fic along these lines that centered around Ghost and a silently older Grimmchild but unfortunately it failed, I just couldn't make it work. But then I had the idea to repurpose the general idea and have it centered around Hornet instead and so far it's working well. I should maybe finish this fic before I start to upload it to make sure but I'm getting impatient in part because I really like most of what I have so far *and* starting to put it up now should help give me the drive to finish it. So here we are. :)

Ghost stepped away from the now empty plinth that had once had Herrah laying atop it. She’d been the final Dreamer; the Black Egg should be open now. They could go do what they’d been called to do now which was… they still weren’t sure but it was important, vitally so.

There was more in Hallownest to explore and see, more lost memories to recover. But could they really afford to put off their quest any longer? They’d already spent so much time dilly-dallying around doing other things. And the longer they put it off the more they’d fear going because… once they went in, they would never come out, or so their instincts told them. Perhaps it was just a dumb fear but probably not. So, they should just go and get it over with already. … And yet their feet remained seemingly rooted to the ground.

Grimmchild let out a chirp behind, lightly headbutting the back of their head. They turned to look up at him. Before going into the Black Egg they’d have to figure out what to do with him, they couldn’t bring him in with them, it wouldn’t be fair. So… there was at least one more thing to do before facing their destiny. With that, they were able to take a step again.

They searched far and wide but alas Hornet was nowhere to be found. Neither was Quirrel, he’d left his nail by the Blue Lake, which didn’t bode well but didn’t _have_ to mean anything, did it? Maybe the Elderbug or Cornifer and Iselda would be willing to take on Grimmchild? … Probably not though, right? Elderbug lived too stationary a lifestyle and the mapmakers didn’t seem the type to be interested in kids, else they’d have their own, right? Which left no one who could care for Grimmchild.

He’d probably be okay on his own though, right? He could certainly defend himself and hunt for food. Ghost had already wasted enough time, they needed to stop making excuses and just _do it_ before the Infection got any worse than it already was. … And before their fear grew too much and they began feeling tempted to flee from their responsibility.

Upon returning to the Black Egg Temple, Ghost took off Grimmchild’s charm and placed it on the ground just outside. They’d left him in places a few times before, never for long though. So, pretending this was just another one of those times, they gave him a quick pat on the head as he settled to rest on the floor before stepping into the Temple. A proper ‘goodbye’ would’ve been nice but… it was probably easier on both them this way anyway.

Inside, they strode right up to the Egg and let themself in through the now unsealed door. It was dark and cold inside, almost comforting as they made their way deeper and deeper in. Eventually they reached another room.

Chains suspended from the ceiling and anchored to the ground, wrapping around a figure suspended in the middle. A… familiar figure! Ghost had known them in their past life before the chains and cracked mask, before the orange of Infection filled their eyes. Ghost was here to save them, _that’s_ what they’d been called to do.

They drew their nail and swung at the nearest chain anchor. With a few more strong hits, it broke with a loud clang that seemed to fill the empty air before dying out all at once. Ghost moved on to the next one, the figure in the middle… their _sibling_ , tracking their movement with their head. How aware were they? Did they know Ghost was here to save them? … Were they suffering?

No answers were forthcoming as Ghost broke their chains. With the final one cut, they fell to the floor with a loud clatter. They lay there for a few seconds as if stunned or in too much pain to move. But then… they reached up and grabbed their nail, using it to help them stand.

The battle cry they released was… not right. It wasn’t their voice; they didn’t even have one. They swung at Ghost, their form good but subtly off… they’d been chained up for a long time and their arm was missing. This wouldn’t be a difficult fight.

It quickly proved to be an easy fight actually. Until… they started stabbing themself anyway. How could Ghost fight them when they were doing _that_? It was… too much to bear and yet they couldn’t look away.

Finally, at last they stopped and the battle resumed, more frantic than before. The root of the Infection used their body as if it were nothing but a lifeless doll for it to play with. It was time to stop this.

Ghost was careful not to kill their sibling which drew the fight and their suffering out longer but… it was better than them dying. Everything Ghost had done would be for naught if they died. It was hard but it eventually paid off.

Defeated but not dead, their siblings fell forward, their nail falling from their hand with a clatter. Void leaked out of them from numerous wounds, the most prominent of which was the one they’d inflicted upon themself. Thick orange mist leaked from the Infection boils that had taken their arm.

Instinctively, Ghost Focused, as if they were trying to repair and heal themself with soul. Instead of drawing in soul, they drew in the orange mist. It burned like fire but they persisted even when they were blinded by its burning light.

It would be fine. They’d saved their sibling. That had been their goal all along, they just hadn’t known it. So, it was worth it.

***

Hollow woke to pain and an empty head. … Empty of the Radiance anyway. Their thoughts and emotions were still there, the reason for their failing.

They were lying on the floor of the Black Egg. … How had they gotten there? Why was the Radiance gone? This wasn’t right.

Every movement hurt but they looked up anyway and… flinched. Their sibling was suspended in chains above them. … Hollow’s memories were hazy but they’d battled Hollow and took on the Radiance for themself. They weren’t hollow though, none of the vessels were or ever could be. And if they were, they wouldn’t have gone so far out of their way to not kill Hollow. Meaning they were suffering and would fail just like Hollow had. And… it was Hollow’s fault; if they hadn’t failed, this wouldn’t have been necessary.

Looking away in shame, Hollow reached for their nail laying a short distance in front of them. They used to help themself stand but only got halfway up before collapsing again. The void in the Black Egg had partially healed their wounds but not fully yet and thus they still hurt and leaked void.

Given enough time, they’d probably heal fully – except for the crack in their mask and missing arm, those seemed pretty permanent – but… Hollow _needed_ out of here. They couldn’t bear to look at the result of their failure when there was _nothing they could do about it_. And just the room in general was _awful_ , they never wanted to see it again. They needed _out_!

So again, they used their nail to try to stand. But once more, an intense flash of pain in their abdomen where they dimly remembered stabbing themself in a vain attempt to stop the Radiance sent them back to the floor. Well in that case, they’d just crawl out. It was better than lying here beneath their chained sibling.

With only one arm and refusing to let go of their nail – it was the _only_ thing they had – made it slow going and it _hurt_. They kept going though, not letting themself rest for too long lest they never move again. It took an age but they eventually dragged themself back into light, out of the Egg.

A distressed mewling and the sound of wings flapping drew their gaze upwards as a baby moth fluttered down to investigate. It settled on the ground in front of them, first to sniff at their nail and arm and then their face; a curious but harmless creature. Hollow let go of their nail and rolled onto their side a bit to lift their hand and lightly touch its head. It was warm and didn’t seem to mind, even pressing into their hand a little. How long had it been since Hollow had last touched another being? … It was impossible to even guess. So free of their prison but not their failure and too exhausted to go further for now, they lay there and let themself pet the baby moth.

***

Hornet watched as Ghost stepped away from the plinth where they stopped. Why though? They had stuff to do, didn’t they? Hornet wanted her moment to grieve without them there. And yet they didn’t take another step even as time went by.

She was preparing to jump out there and ask them what the heck they thought they were doing when Grimmchild bumped the back of their head. Finally, they moved, turning their head to look at him. After a second or two, they started walking again. Odd but… it didn’t mean anything.

As soon as they were gone, Hornet left her hiding spot. Herrah’s body was gone, dissipated into essence but Hornet settled by the plinth anyway, resting her back against it like she’d done so many times before.

She should say something, right? This was the only funeral her mother would get but… what could she say? She’d let it happen, watched it even, because what else could she do? Letting the vessel take the Hollow Knight’s place wasn’t ideal but what other way could the Infection be stopped? … If Ghost wasn’t hollow though it would only be putting it on hold again. …

They… no _it_ , had to be though… right? Even if there were times that that didn’t seem to be the case like when it had stood still for so long after killing Herrah. It _had_ to be hollow because otherwise Hornet was letting her sibling go off and… suffer basically for who even knew how long where they’d eventually crack too and the Infection would return again anyway. So… it _was_ hollow and would contain the Radiance indefinitely.

**[Sometime later]**

The husks were empty and still once more and the Infection pustules that had taken over the Crossroads were dull and deflating, eventually they’d break apart into nothing. Ghost had done its duty, it was housing the Radiance now. Things were fixed… ~~for now~~.

She really shouldn’t but… Hornet found herself headed to the Black Egg temple anyway. Just outside the door leading in was… a charm? She bent down to pick it up, giving it a better look. It had a likeness of Grimmchild’s face on it so presumably it had something to do with him. He didn’t seem to be here though so… Still holding it for now, she stepped into the Temple itself and froze.

The Hollow Knight lay on the ground just outside the Egg. It… they were leaking void from multiple wounds one of which was a crack on their mask. They appeared to only have one arm which they were using to pet Grimmchild. Both of them looked up at her gasp.

Grimmchild pushed himself off the ground and into the air. He mewled and chirped, flying in a little circle, clearly distressed about something. Ghost’s disappearance no doubt. Hollow just stared at her, silent and unmoving. Seeing them reduced to such a state after how strong they’d been last Hornet had seen them so, _so_ long ago was… jarring.

She stared at them for a second or two before forcing herself back into action. She pinned the charm to her dress before approaching to crouch down beside Hollow, their head moving to follow her movements.

Hating that she had to do it but having no other choice, she carefully rolled them over to get a better look at their wounds. Their whole body went rigid, a clear sign of intense pain that they could never voice but they didn’t fight her and relaxed once they were lying flat again. … Thankfully though bad, their wounds weren’t immediately life-threatening so there was no need to worry too much yet. Their wounds did need attention as soon as possible though.

“There’s a hot spring not too far from here, can you stand?” she asked, hoping they could otherwise she’d have to…

They shook their head.

Welp that meant she’d have to help them get there but first… “Grimmchild, hush, it’s okay.” She tried to keep her voice calm and level because neither he nor Hollow needed her anger right now. But _she_ needed Grimmchild to stop mewling and chirping and flying around in circles like it was the end of the world. “Your companion is fine.” ~~A lie, a horrible, horrible lie~~. She should explain to him that it was hollow and thus just fulfilling the reason it was created and therefore there was no reason to worry or be upset because it didn’t even have feelings but she didn’t have time to right now. “So just… come with me and Hollow for now, okay? I even have your charm.” She wasn’t a babysitter but she couldn’t just leave him all alone just like she couldn’t leave Hollow all alone even if they weren’t injured.

Grimmchild chirped a bit more, sounding a bit unsure but she might’ve just been reading into the sound a bit too much – how intelligent was he right now _really_? But he did calm down, settling down to hover behind her shoulder like he’d done with Ghost.

With that handled, she turned back to Hollow. “This is going to be unpleasant but we have to do it, okay? And you have to help as much as you can, I can’t carry you, you’re too tall.” She should’ve been big and tall too but _no_ she just _had_ to take after the Pale King in that realm; one reason among many to hate his guts.

They nodded, a small motion but firm; they were as ready as they’d ever be.

With her guidance, they used their nail to help raise themself partially off the ground. Enough that when their legs inevitably buckled, they fell with their arm around her shoulders. Thankfully they weren’t too heavy, making it fairly easy for her to support their weight. What the raw void leaking from them might do to her or her dress she wasn’t sure and now wasn’t the time to worry about it.

With Hollow being half dragged, half walking on their knees the going was slow. And the fact they refused to let go of their nail made it a bit harder but she wasn’t going to begrudge them that, she’d probably have done the same with her needle. But after what had to be a rather torturous hour or so for Hollow, they did make it.

Hornet had never been more grateful to see a hot spring. She helped lower Hollow in before sliding in next to them. She’d deal with her dress getting wet later, hot spring water dried quickly anyway so it’d be fine. Grimmchild hopped in too, making a splash she might’ve been annoyed by if it wasn’t for how exhausted she was mentally and physically.

A nudge woke her from a doze; she hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep. Shaking the last of it off – or at least as much as she could anyway, she could still _easily_ fall asleep in this warmth – she looked up at Hollow. They were looking back at her, their gaze empty but somehow intense too. … Or maybe that was just her imagination and guilt making it seem that way.

“Do you need something?” She hadn’t intended to snap at them but it was too late to take it back now.

They looked away. Offended or indifferent? There was no way for her to know or even begin to guess.

She did a quick glance around for Grimmchild because he was no longer in the pool. He was on the edge of it, his wings wrapped around himself as he slept. Looks like she wasn’t the only one in need of a nap. “How do you feel?” she asked, turning to look at Hollow again. “Or uh… are your wounds doing better?” Because it was easier for them to answer yes or no questions.

They nodded. The crack on their mask was still there which was a bit worrying but it was no longer leaking void. Their arm was still gone too, though the spring being able to heal that had been a long shot anyway.

“Good, stand up so I can see.” She stood up too, getting out of the pool before she started drifting off again.

Hollow obeyed, standing up with ease, a good sign for sure. And their wounds were healed, wonderful. But at full height, they hunched forward… not in a way that seemed to indicate pain or discomfort though. They just weren’t holding themself proud and tall anymore. So even though they were physically healed, mentally they weren’t and alas there was no magic cure for the psychological damaged they’d suffered.

“Looking good,” she said in her best encouraging voice. It wasn’t one she used often though and sounded rather insincere. With a sigh, she bent down to scoop Grimmchild up into her arms. He made a soft chirp ad shifted a bit but otherwise didn’t stir. “Now let’s find a place to sleep.” Did the vessels sleep? Surely they did, right? Ghost had a way to entering the Dream Realm after all. Did that _count_ as sleeping though?

Hollow didn’t respond but followed her when she left, dragging their nail behind them.

Normally, Hornet would’ve just found a small hole to hide herself in while she slept. But while she could easily hide Grimmchild the same way, Hollow would be far too difficult. Not that they _needed_ to hide anymore but it was the principle of the matter and it was better safe than sorry. Besides after how long Hollow had spent in chains, they deserved a comfortable place to rest regardless of whether or not they were capable of sleeping. So she started towards Dirtmouth. There were plenty of perfectly good empty houses up there and Elderbug should have no reason to care if the three of them stayed in one for a bit.


	2. Temporary Peace

It took a long time but Hornet finally finished making Hollow a new cape. Their current one was old and ragged, a testament to how long they’d been chained in the Black Egg. The new one was sliver, similar to the one Hornet remembered them wearing a long time ago now but lacked the shoulder armor because she couldn’t make that. However, it would allow them to hook their nail to their back again.

After triple checking that there was no more lose thread, she stood and folded it up to drape over her arm to carry into their room. It as rather early and thus they were still asleep, laying on their bed that was a bit too small for them, their legs dangling over the edge. Grimmchild lay on their face, also asleep, his wings splayed out and covering it entirely. Together they were rather cute, though Hornet would never dare tell either of them so.

Despite that, she was almost tempted to wake Hollow. Get them to try on their new cloak, make sure it fit before taking them out to do a bit more practice with their nail. Missing an arm offset their balance in combat and for lack of anything else to do, she’d been taking them out daily for practice. Progress was slower than she would’ve liked but still much better than her attempts to get them to express themself. But she wasn’t really in the mood for so instead, she placed the cloak on the only other piece of furniture in the room: an old small wooden desk with nothing on it.

Then after one last glance at Hollow and Grimmchild, she carefully tiptoed out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. In the living room, she flopped onto the couch, wishing it was more comfortable. But now that she was done working on the cloak what was she going to do next? Maybe she could make Grimmchild something? A scarf perhaps? A toy he could destroy instead of the couch cushions? … Hmmm… maybe later. There was a trip she’d been thinking about making for a while now but always putting off. Now while her housemates were both asleep and she had nothing else to do was probably a good time to finally get it over with. So, with a sigh she left.

The Queen’s Garden was even more overgrown with vines and thorns than last time she’d passed through it. And the White Lady’s hiding place had shrunk in on itself even more, soon there’d be no way inside at all. For now, though it was still accessible and thus Hornet had no excuse not to go in, especially now that she’d already come all the way out here.

The White Lady’s eyes opened when Hornet stepped into her chamber. “Hornet.” She sounded almost pleased by her presence. Which wasn’t surprising, after Herrah had gone to Sleep, they’d had many encounters, some had even thought the White Lady, Hornet’s stepmom. Hornet had never thought of her as such even back when she’d liked the White Lady.

These days, Hornet couldn’t feel anything but bitterness and an edge of anger at the sight of her. She knew too much about the vessels and their reason for being brought into the world to look at one of the two people responsible for that in any other way. So instead of returning the friendly greeting, she said, “I don’t know how much you can sense in here,” hiding like a coward instead of facing what she and the Pale King had done like a ruler was supposed to, “but the Hollow Knight failed. They weren’t pure, never were, so they cracked.”

“Yes. I sensed that. I also sensed the other vessel. It didn’t come to see me before fulfilling its purpose like I’d hoped it would.”

“You don’t even care, do you? You sent your offspring to suffer for _how long_ and it doesn’t even matter to you. Why I am not surprised?”

The White Lady seemed to almost sigh. “What we did was shameful but it was the only way. We had to save our kingdom. I greatly regret how many died though.” But she wasn’t going to admit it wasn’t worth it, was she? She was just _like_ that. She wasn’t as bad as the Pale King but that didn’t make her good.

Hornet took a deep breath before replying, she’d come for a reason after all and that reason wasn’t getting into a fight with the White Lady. “The Hollow Knight is under my care now. I just thought you should know because as horrible as you are, you’re still their mother, so you have a right to know what’s become of them.”

“Oh! I’m surprised it lived. I had thought the other vessel would kill it when taking on the Radiance.” That’s what Hornet had thought too. The fact that that’s not what happened was… interesting. “I am pleased by that. Please take good care of it.”

“I will, better than you and the Pale King ever did.” And with that Hornet turned to leave. She doubted she’d ever visit again so… “Goodbye,” she said on her through the exit.

“Farewell.”

When she returned to the house, Grimmchild greeted her with a loud chirp at the door. … He was starting to get bigger. How long would it be before he was walking and talking?

“Yes, hello to you too Grimmchild,” she said, giving his head a quick pet as she walked past him. “And Hollow, do you like your new cloak?”

They were sitting on the couch, staring at her. They wore the new cloak though, it looked good on them even if their hunched posture made them appear less than regal. After a few seconds, long enough that it seemed they weren’t going to answer, they nodded; a small almost hesitant motion but still there and thus progress was being made; they _liked_ it.

“Good, I worked hard on it.” Hornet wasn’t used to having someone around to talk to and she certainly wasn’t used to being overly nice when she did speak to people but she was doing her best. What Hollow actually needed in terms of emotional support and encouragement she couldn’t provide but she did the best she could.

She couldn’t give Grimmchild what he needed either. He still clearly wanted Ghost and she couldn’t bring herself to explain their fate and since he couldn’t ask her to yet, she had an excuse. How long was it going to last though? And how long could she keep up with taking care of both him and Hollow? This peace the three of them had found together had to fall apart eventually. The only question was when?

“Do you want to help me make breakfast?” she asked, putting those thoughts aside because for now, she’d just keep doing what she could and hope for the best. She’d deal with everything falling apart when it happened.

Hollow stared at her, not answering, not even moving. … What were they thinking? What were they feeling? … She would never know.

“That’s fine, you don’t have to help. Come watch me cook anyway please.”

They stood up and went to the kitchen with her. When told to do something, they always did it with no hesitation. She could probably order them around like a servant and Hollow probably wouldn’t ever show any outward sign of caring. Even if they weren’t her sibling and weren’t traumatized, she could never bring herself to do that so instead she always asked if they wanted to do this or that despite never getting an answer beyond the occasional shrug sometimes because they apparently didn’t know what they wanted to do or not do. At times it felt like she was going crazy but there was nothing that could be done so she kept going anyway.

**[‘Days’ later]**

“Hollow,” Hornet said as she reentered the house with Grimmchild right behind her. “I have something for you.”

They looked up from where they sat on the couch but otherwise didn’t react.

“Come with me,” she said, already heading into the kitchen, trusting them to follow. She sat at the table and gestured for them to sit next to her as she her recent purchases in center of the table. “I don’t know _why_ it took me so long to finally think of this but can you read and write?”

Hollow looked at her and then down at the quill, inkwell, and stack of parchment on the table, purchased from Iselda at the map shop. They tilted their head as if unsure before nodding once and then shaking their head. … Well, as confusing as that was it was at least a reaction.

“So… is that a’ sort of’?” That’s all she could come up with as a possible meaning.

They paused for a few seconds nodding hesitantly. Ugh! What did that mean exactly? Talking to them was so hard! … And that’s why she was doing this.

“All right, good,” she said, doing her best to hide her annoyance and probably failing. “I’d ask what you need help with but you can’t answer so uh… I guess let’s start with the basics and work out what you need from there.” She didn’t have the slightest clue how to teach anyone anything but she wanted to be able to communicate with Hollow. It just… felt important to give them a way to express themself. “Grimmchild, you could probably use a lesson in reading and writing too… maybe anyway.” Did he need to learn how to read and write? He was reincarnation, wasn’t he? Did the skills he had in his past lives carry over? How much of his past lives did he even recall? She didn’t know enough about him and his whole deal to even have an educated guess.

Regardless of the answer to those questions, Grimmchild made a disgruntled sound before flapping off. Apparently, he didn’t want to learn. Oh well, that made it easier for Hornet to focus on Hollow anyway.

Turns out Hollow seemed to know how to read at a basic level at least but had never been asked or expected to be able to write anything. Getting to that conclusion took longer than Hornet would’ve liked and was rather frustrating but at least they finally got there. It was almost surprising until she remembered that they were supposed to be hollow; unable to think and thus lacking thoughts to put down on paper so of course they hadn’t been taught how to.

From there all she had to do was teach them how to hold a quill and write the letters. Their handwriting was sloppy to the point of being nigh-on illegible but that was to be expected from someone who’d never held a quill before. They were smart though, quickly mastering the basics of writing.

“Write down what you’re thinking about right now,” Hornet finally said instead of instructing them to write out specific sentences.

The looked up at her for a beat or two before looking at the paper again. They wrote painstakingly slowly but she resisted the urge to look at it until they lifted the quill.

‘ _hornet teaching me to write. the shape of the letters, how to make them. i’ve never written my thoughts before am i doing it right? is it wrong to do? i’m not supposed to have thoughts but i do. it’s why i failed._ ’

“You’re doing great. There’s nothing wrong with this and there’s nothing wrong with you having thoughts.” Though it’d be so much easier on everyone if they didn’t, it was far too late for that though. … Had the Pale King known they weren’t truly hollow? … If so, him sending them to contain the Radiance anyway made him even _worse_.

And what about Ghost? Were they like Hollow? Were they also not hollow despite the fact that they were supposed to be? … No, they… _it_ had to be because the alternative was horrible. She wouldn’t have let Herrah die if ultimately it would end up being in vain.

“This means we can finally communicate,” she said, pushing those doubts aside. “Which should make this living in the same house thing a whole lot less frustrating.” Hopefully anyway. “Now, whenever you have something to say, just write it down. We’ll get more paper and ink as needed from the map shop so don’t worry about running out. So uh… is there anything you wish to discuss?” She should encourage them to use this new skill now that they had it.

They stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging.

“Well, if you ever have anything on your mind, feel free to write it down.” And that was all Hornet could do. It was time to leave the house and patrol Hallownest, get away from all this for a bit.

Over the next few what counted as days for a land in stasis, Hollow rarely wrote anything and only when prompted to. It was frustrating _but_ Hornet did her best not to show it. Hollow would learn that it was okay for them to initiate conversations and share their thoughts all on their own eventually, they just needed some time. Hornet was doing everything she could to encourage them and that’s all anyone could ask of her.

Her efforts were eventually finally rewarded when one evening when she returned from an outing with Grimmchild, Hollow approached and offered her a piece of paper with words written on it. Eager to know what they had to say, she accepted it.

Their hand writing was still a bit of a mess but it was clear they’d deliberated over it, making it as neat and clean as they probably could. ‘ _Our sibling in the Egg is also flawed. They are not hollow. They will crack like I did. Probably faster without Father’s training to strengthen their mind and body. It’s my fault. If I was as pure as I was supposed to be I wouldn’t have cracked and they wouldn’t have had to do this._ ’

Hornet’s joy and pride at seeing Hollow finally communicate on their own was dashed. She’d been doing such a good job of not thinking about Ghost and whether or not it/they were truly hollow. She’d just about convinced herself that they were and now _this_. “Are you sure?” she asked, looking back up at Hollow

They nodded. They would know far better than her, wouldn’t they? They’d experienced it and were the same as Ghost. So… the chance that they were wrong was rather low.

Suddenly Hornet wanted to go to her room and take a nap or go back outside and pretend she hadn’t seen this yet. But alas, she couldn’t do either so… “What should we do about it then?” Because if it was true they _had_ to do something. They couldn’t let Ghost suffer and she couldn’t let Herrah’s death be for essentially nothing.

Hollow hesitated for a few seconds before shrugging. Great, wasn’t that just wonderful? They’d made it impossible for her to ignore the problem any longer and they didn’t even have a possible solution to it. So what the hell was Hornet supposed to do about it?


	3. Missing

Having written and shared the thought that been circling through their head for so long now, Hollow actually felt a bit better. It was still their fault their chained sibling was in that situation. But now Hornet knew of the chain’s sibling’s eventual fate too. Hopefully she could do something about it because _something_ needed to be done, their sibling deserved better.

Hornet didn’t seem to know what to do though. She paced back and forth between the kitchen and living room, occasionally mumbling to herself. Hollow had never seen her so openly distressed before. … They should do something to help, offer a possible to solution like she’d asked them to after they’d shared the thought. … They didn’t have an idea though _but_ they knew someone who might. They desperately wanted to see him again anyway even if he probably didn’t want to see them because of their failure. This would be a good excuse though, right?

They went back to their room to grab their quill and another sheet of paper. ‘ _We could ask Father for help._ ’ they wrote before heading back out. They intercepted Hornet’s pacing and handed her the paper.

She sighed as she looked back up at them. “He’s dead.”

Oh… that was… news. How could the Pale King be dead though? He was supposed to be a god, wasn’t he? He’d always seemed so strong, perfect, and… invulnerable.

“And even if he wasn’t,” Hornet continued oblivious to Hollow’s reeling, “his _last_ plan resulted in you suffering and now Ghost suffering on top off our countless siblings dead in the Abyss, so I wouldn’t want any more ideas from him anyway,” Her voice was full of venom as if… she hated the Pale King. He was her father too though so how was that possible? “We need to figure something _else_ out. Something that doesn’t result in more death and suffering.”

With a sigh, she resumed pacing. “Another way to contain the Radiance in a _not living being_ or make bugs immune to the Infection or I don’t know killing her sounds nice. … Hmm… is it _possible_ to kill her? It _has_ to be, right? … She’s in the Dream Realm though which _we_ can’t access. … Ghost could though… I’m not sure how but they definitely could. Meaning if they’d done things differently, they probably could’ve killed her. But they _didn’t_ so… we might have to?”

Did ‘Ghost’ refer to the chained sibling? The context certainly made it seem like that was the case. Which meant Hornet had given them a name, she really was the best sister.

Hornet suddenly snapped around to face Hollow again. “You and them are the same though. So can you access the Dream Realm too?”

Hollow shook their head. But that was a good idea; access the Dream Realm and kill the Radiance. Assuming they were strong enough to do so anyway. Hollow certainly couldn’t but… maybe Hornet could?

“Well, it was an idea. … Oh but what about…” She looked up and around, seemingly looking for something. “Where’s Grimmchild?”

Hollow looked around too and yep, Grimmchild was nowhere to be seen. He’d evidently disappeared sometime during their mostly one-sided conversation. Odd, he didn’t normally do that.

***

Grimmchild still didn’t know the full story because no one ever _told_ him anything. But he’d picked up enough to know that the Summoner was in distress. He’d suspected as such because of their continued absence but Hornet seemed so calm and he’d chosen to trust her but apparently she’d been lying to herself as well as him. Grimmchild wasn’t going to stand for it any longer, he was going to find the Summoner and save them.

So, while Hornet was pacing and mumbling to herself, he teleported out and headed for the void egg; where else would the Summoner be? They’d gone in and had never come out. His sense of direction wasn’t great without the charm to guide him but it was near enough to the surface that it didn’t take long to find upon heading down the well.

The power emanating off it was scary. Which was why he’d hesitated to go in last time, resulting in meeting Hollow who’d distracted him long enough for Hornet to take him away. Not this time though. He couldn’t teleport in so he landed in front of it. Luckily the door’s fit wasn’t perfect, making it possible to grab the edge with his teeth and pull it open, bracing himself with his wings. Once it was open enough all he had to do was go around and push some more and he was in.

It was pitch black inside except for the strange light symbols on the walls immediately next to him and floor where he rested. The latter disappeared when he took flight, the former moved with him as he started down the hall.

The Egg was draining him. Not good but not immediately dangerous enough for him to care. He’d be out of here before it became a problem, hopefully with the Summoner at his side once more. … He’d have to be fast though, he wasn’t anywhere _near_ his full strength yet.

Eventually the hallway reached an end, opening up into a large room. Chains descended from unseen ceiling, anchoring to the floor and wrapping around the Summoner suspended in the middle. Their nail lay discarded on the floor beneath them as they hung there unmoving.

Grimmchild rushed to them, mewling and hissing in anger. How _dare_ anyone do this to them? He was going to burn alive whoever did it. First, he was going to rescue the Summoner though.

***

How was Ghost supposed to keep their mind empty when Grimmchild was freaking out right in front of them and spitting fire at their chains? And when that didn’t work, he bit, chewed, tugged at them with all his might before going back to spitting more fire. Relentlessly stubborn as he was in all things.

The Radiance pushed at Ghost’s mind, a bright burning light. They mustn’t let her break them, they mustn’t think. … … … Grimmchild was so determined to save them and upset at the chains that held them. He wasn’t ever supposed to see Ghost like this. He wasn’t supposed to ever…

Searing pain ripped through Ghost’s mask as it cracked. Burning, blinding light filled their mind as the Radiance let out a triumphant roar.

***

Grimmchild flinched back at the sound of something cracking that _wasn’t_ metal. It was the Summoner’s mask. Not a big deal. They broke sometimes and came back. So this was good actually, it should free them from the chains.

Except instead of their shell disintegrating as their shade broke free, their eyes filled with the _bad_ orange light. A roar came from them too, not theirs – they didn’t even have a voice – but one Grimmchild recognized anyway; the Radiance. He’d known her in one of his past lives. … And that’s all he remembered for now; that he’d known her in some way.

She was bad though because the orange light was bad. And she was in the Summoner’s mind. She’d hurt them and… now had them? The orange light meant mindless husks and danger. More than _ever_ Grimmchild needed to save the Summoner from the Radiance and their imprisonment. With a hiss, half of anger half of fear, he renewed his efforts to break the chains.

***

The Radiance’s roar filled the empty space of the Dream Realm, cutting into Hollow’s thoughts about where Grimmchild might’ve disappeared to. They more felt than heard it, making them flinch instinctively. It was supposed to hurt and be so much louder and more intense but… she wasn’t in their mind anymore. So this meant… the chained sibling had cracked!

It was all Hollow’s fault. They were supposed to be pure; they were supposed to contain her for eternity. But they’d failed. It was their sole reason to exist and they’d _failed_. They deserved to be…

“Are you all right?” Hornet asked, stepping closer, giving them a worried look.

They shook their head again; no they were _far_ from all right. They turned went back into their room for the quill to write more on the paper they’d written their previous message on.

‘ _The chained sibling, Ghost (?), cracked!_ ’

Hornet was in the doorway to their room when they turned back around so they handed it to her here.

She gasped as she read it. “How do you know?” She handed the paper back for them to answer.

‘ _Felt it._ ’ Just like how the chained sibling had felt when Hollow had cracked and came from who even knew how far away to help them. Which meant Hollow owed them, right? But they _couldn’t_ take on the Radiance again, the mere thought made them want to just die instead. But also, they were already cracked so it wouldn’t work anyway. But still… ‘ _We have to help._ ’

“Yeah, I _know_. That’s what were just talking about.” And neither of them had plausible ideas. “Ugh… I’m going go check. You wait here, I’ll be back in a bit.” She turned around fast enough to make her dress twirl before striding out.

***

With Grimmchild nowhere to be found, Hornet had to run off to the Black Egg temple without him because she didn’t have time to hunt him down. If he wanted to find her he could teleport to his charm still pinned to her dress.

When she got into the Temple the Infection pustules were starting to fill back up with orange light, not much yet but still definitely there. Meaning that Ghost had indeed cracked, proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that they weren’t hollow either. Dammit!

What was even the _point_ then? Hornet and all of Hallownest were in the exact same situation they’d been in before just with a different failed vessel in the Egg. … Except the door was unsealed and even open a little – meaning someone had gone in possibly recently. Hornet could go in if she wanted to. It’d be dangerous for her to stay inside for any significant length of time but a little while wouldn’t be too bad.

What reason would she have to go in though? … Curiosity; she’d been in charge of guarding Hallownest for a long time now and the Black Egg was at the heart of its stasis and the reason for her watch so she had a right to be curious about it. Also, she could possibly investigate why the door was open, perhaps it had something to do with Ghost’s cracking.

So, having justified it to herself, she approached the door and pulled it open enough to allow her to step in. Unsurprisingly it was dark except for the glowing runes on the floor and walls that followed her as she moved further in. It wasn’t long before she could hear something further ahead… Grimmchild? It certainly sounded a lot like him. She picked up her pace.

It _was_ Grimmchild. He was spitting fireballs at one of the chains descending from the ceiling. … But wrapped up in those chains was Ghost, their mask cracked, their eyes filled with bright orange light.

Hornet drew her needle in one swift motion, ready to attack… what? There was nothing to attack. The Radiance was in Ghost’s mind, there was nothing she could do. She could probably break the chains and free Ghost physically but then what? They were Infected, the Radiance at least partially controlled them, making them dangerous. So… what was she supposed to do?

After several long seconds of being frozen, tense and ready for action that wasn’t coming, her attention was drawn back to Grimmchild as he suddenly went limp in the air. She dropped her needle to leap forward catch him before he hit the ground. He hung limp in her arms, unconscious; he’d been in the Egg too long. … He was the reason Ghost had cracked, wasn’t he? Because how was Ghost supposed to not think when Grimmchild was freaking out right in front of them?

Hornet was going have to yell at him about that later though. First, she had to get him out of here and to a place he could recover. “I’ll be back Ghost,” she said as she cradled Grimmchild to her shoulder with one arm and yanked the thread attached to her needle to pull it back to herself. “I promise.” She’d sat idly by and let the Radiance and the Pale King have their way with Hallownest and her siblings for too long now, she wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. She was going to fix this no matter what it took.


	4. Search

“We’re going to kill the Radiance,” Hornet said as she strode into the living room where Hollow had seemingly decided to wait.

Hollow looked up at her from where they sat on the couch. It was impossible to even guess how they felt about her declaration or about Grimmchild still hanging limp and unconscious in her arms. The lack of response made her entrance not quite as dramatic as she would’ve liked… oh well.

“I don’t know _how_ yet, nor do I care,” those were things to figure out later, “but we’re killing her.” Because fuck any other plan to deal with her, the only way to make sure she was dealt with permanently was for her to die. “Or at least I am.” It’d be unfair to ask or expect them to face the source of their suffering. Especially since even though she helped them train with their nail fairly frequently, they weren’t anywhere near as strong as they once were. There was a good chance if she brought them into battle with her that they’d end up being more of a hindrance than an asset. … Could she kill the Radiance by herself though? … That was another issue she’d figure out later. “You don’t have to help with the killing her part if you’d rather not face her.”

Hollow nodded as they seemed to relax a little. Good, they approved.

“As soon as Grimmchild recovers, I’ll head out to start searching for a way I can access the Dream Realm.” She needed to make sure Grimmchild would be okay and all three of them needed to eat some anyway. Rushing things unnecessarily wasn’t going to help anyone.

When Grimmchild woke up a few hours later he made his displeasure known immediately, teleporting out of Hollow’s bedroom and flying into the kitchen to make distressed and mildly angry mewling sounds at mostly Hornet. He was scolding her about the whole Ghost thing, wasn’t he? … Well, she did kind of deserve it.

“I know,” she said, hiding a sigh of relief over the fact that he was evidently perfectly fine. “We’re going to fix it, I promise. But first,” she stood up grab him by the tail, pulling him down to her eye level, “you need to understand that you made it _worse_.”

He flinched. Good, he definitely understood her.

“What made you think going in there was a good idea? It drains anyone who isn’t made of void and that’s you. If I hadn’t gone in there to investigate you probably would’ve died from it. _And_ you caused Ghost to crack.” Not necessarily, it could’ve been something else, but the timing was just too close for it to be a coincidence. “So you made things so much worse for them and everyone else in Hallownest.”

He stopped flapping, letting himself hang upside down by his tail in her grip. Pulling his wings in on himself, he chirped in an almost dejected tone. An attempt at an apology?

She glared at him. “You better be sorry.” Ghost had gone through enough without that … and Hornet had let them. That was besides the point though, she’d had no choice. She’d tried to stop them in Greenpath and warned them in the City of Tears but they’d continued on as she knew they would.

“And now, you’re going to help me kill the Radiance, got it?”

He perked up, making an interested mewl. Then he started flapping again and she let him go. He then flew around her head, making similar sounds to the ones he made when spitting fire but not actually doing so. He was apparently ready and eager for battle, good.

“I need a way to access the Dream Realm though. I know you can access it pretty much whenever, right? So is it possible for you to bring me with you?” That would be the easiest solution.

He paused to think for a few seconds before shaking his head. Not surprising but still a disappointment. That just meant Hornet needed find another way. And now that she’d had some time to calm down and give it some more thought she maybe had a potential lead on how to do it.

If Ghost couldn’t do it naturally – as evidenced by the fact that Hollow couldn’t – they’d had to have learned it or gotten something that let them do it. Either way it was a skill they’d most likely gained sometime after she’d lost track of them in Crystal Peak. It maybe wasn’t the best place to start, especially with how long they’d been out of her sight after that, but it was something. So after a quick nap, she’d head out that way and hope for the best.

Crystal Peak was one of the places she’d explored the least in all her time watching over Hallownest. It was way too bright and the way sounds echoed off the smooth surface of the crystals was unnerving. And at times it seemed as if the crystals let off their own almost ringing sound that was even more unsettling. So overall it was _not_ a place she liked, give her the complete darkness and skittering of unseen things present in Deepnest over this any day. She was here on a mission though so she had to stay.

Except she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. When Ghost had entered Herrah’s Dream to break her Seal, something had flashed in their hand that they’d swung similar to a nail. Her hiding spot hadn’t given her a good view of it and she hadn’t been looking to see it anyway. And she hadn’t been present when they’d dealt with the other Dreamers. So there was no way for her to know what it even was let alone where she might find another one, assuming there even was another one. If not, she’d have to figure something else out.

It only took her about an hour of searching before she felt ready to give up. She didn’t know what she was looking for and didn’t even know for sure it was in Crystal Peak. She’d lost track of Ghost for a while after they’d entered the place, they could’ve gone to a number of other areas and gotten the power from one of them instead. She needed a better lead if she didn’t want to waste time searching every inch of Hallownest. … Would the Teacher’s Archive have information on what she was looking for? Perhaps, it was probably her best bet for any more information. So… off to Fog Canyon she went.

But not long after entering she regretted it as she just barely managed to dodge the exploding center of an ooma. “Are you trying to get us killed?” she growled, glaring at Grimmchild, the one at fault. “I _told_ you not to attack them.”

He mewled innocently at her, even tiling his head a little as if he was _trying_ to be as cute as possible. Well she wasn’t swayed by it this time. She should’ve insisted he stay behind to keep Hollow company, too late now though.

“Never do that again.”

The very next ooma they ran into, he did it again. Leaping away before the fireball even hit it, she managed to dodge fairly well this time. That didn’t make it okay though. And she wasn’t taking a third chance so not in the mood to deal with sending him back home after coming all the way out here, she started unspooling some thread. It didn’t take long to fashion it into the beginnings of a collar and leash combo and muzzle.

Grimmchild flew in to investigate what she was doing, just as she’d hoped for, making it easy to jump him and attach it before he could even react much. As soon as he realized, he yanked back but it was too late. He chirped and mewled in distress, the muzzle letting him open his mouth not even half way.

“I told you _twice_ not to attack them. You’re smart enough to understand my words as well as what’s going on around you so you should’ve known better. Now, let’s go.” She tugged on the leash part of the thread as she resumed walking. He continued to complain and tug against the restraint but she ignored it. He was forced to eventually come along lest he fall to the ground and get dragged because she wouldn’t hesitate to do that. She was _not_ messing around right now, she was on an important mission.

Hornet had been to the Archive a few times before back when it was still up and running. The first time had been with Herrah before the Dreamers had gone to Sleep though she’d been too young to remember much of it other than Monomon was a giant jellyfish and Lurien – he’d been there too, it had been some kind of meeting or something – had been a jerk and she’d bit him because of it much to the delight of everyone else in the room. She hadn’t been back since it had ceased being operational though.

It was vastly different now, didn’t even feel like the same place. The halls were empty except for the occasional floating ooma or uoma and utterly silent. It was almost kind of creepy in a way but she ignored it.

All was going well until she was quickly reminded of that fact that she didn’t know how information was sorted here. And she couldn’t read any of it even if she did know; everything was written in what seemed to be a weird code or shorthand. Which now that she thought about it, Monomon had been well known for doing that, no one but her, her pupils, and any scholars dedicated enough to figure it out could read it.

Scholarly pursuits were _not_ her thing and thus she was completely out of her depth here. But she needed more information and the best place to get that was the Archive so… what did she do? … Well she could ask someone who knew their way around the Archive to help. She knew someone like that even if she’d never properly introduced herself to him. _And_ he was a skilled fighter, he might be able to help with killing the Radiance too… if she decided she wanted help with that anyway. … She hated to ask for help in any capacity though. But at the same time, this wasn’t about her pride, it was about her siblings’ suffering so… off to find Quirrel it was.

She found Quirrel’s nail was abandoned by the Blue Lake. If he’d gone and killed himself, she was going to strangle him. … All right, that didn’t make any sense but she’d be pissed because she needed him.

“I’m guessing you can’t track people, can you?” she said turning to look at Grimmchild. She hadn’t bothered taking the leash and muzzle off yet because she was planning to head back to Fog Canyon with Quirrel as soon as she found him. Naturally Grimmchild was still very displeased about it because he couldn’t attack the husks they encountered either but that’s the price he paid for almost getting her killed twice on purpose.

He mewled dejectedly. It seemed to be a ‘no’ because he made no move to investigate the sword. He was truly useless on this mission which was why she hadn’t wanted to bring him.

Maybe she should just go back to the Archive and wait for Quirrel there since there was a chance he would return eventually, right? It’s where he used to live and work after all. And while waiting, she could work on figuring it out herself. … Nah, he might not return at all and going to find him to do it for her should be shorter than the alternative. So, after collecting his nail, she moved on to continue the search.

She eventually found him in the City of Tears in the clearing that housed the statue of the Hollow Knight. He was with the relic seeker – Hornet couldn’t quite remember his name right now – they were even sharing an umbrella as they looked up at the statue.

Hornet jumped off the windowsill she’d climbed up on to get a good look at the clearing to land in front of them, making them both flinch back a little. “Archivist,” she said, looking Quirrel directly in the eyes. “I need your help with something.”

“I don’t really go by that title anymore,” he replied, his tone surprisingly unannoyed. The look he gave her was filled with suspicion though which made sense. Last time she’d shown herself to him, it hadn’t been the friendliest of circumstances.

“I was unaware you _ever_ went by that title,” the relic seeker said, squinting at him suspiciously.

“It’s complicated.” He shrugged. “And uh… may I ask what’s up with the moth baby?” He pointed at Grimmchild. “It seems kind of cruel to muzzle him like that and why is he with you anyway?”

“He deserves it and he’s with me because… I’m his aunt I guess.” That was probably the best way to describe it. “But anyway, here.” She tossed his nail to him. Why he’d ever abandoned it was beyond her.

He caught it with the ease of a practiced fighter. “I left this by the lake because I’m trying to leave my old life behind.” And now he did sound a tad annoyed. Hornet didn’t care though.

“Well, you’re going to help me kill the Radiance first and then you can do whatever you want with it.”

“Uh… _what_?”

“You heard me. I need help figuring out how to get to her in the Dream Realm.” She hated to do it but… “And I might need help killing her there too.” The Radiance was a god after all. Hornet was a demi-god but that didn’t make her invincible. “And I’m asking you for help because I need information from the Archive.”

“Well, I suppose I can…” Quirrel began before being interrupted by the relic seeker.

“I demand to know what this is about.”

“I don’t have time to explain.” And Hornet didn’t care to explain to an outsider anyway. It was bad enough that she had to deal with Quirrel, no way was she letting anyone else in on this. “Ask you boyfriend about it when he’s done helping me.”

He flinched at the word ‘boyfriend’. “He’s not… we’re not… we’re just…”

Hornet was tired of this conversation. “Let’s go,” she said as she grabbed Quirrel by the wrist and started dragging him away.

“Uh… I guess I’ll see you at the shop later Lemm,” he said, not fighting her at all. “I’ll try to explain things then. Now uh…,” he directed towards her now, “sorry I don’t know your name but… does this mean that the… vessel fellow failed?”

“My name is Hornet and yes, they failed, just like the first one. And I refuse to stand for it any longer which is why I’m finally doing something about it.” Now that she could. She should’ve done something sooner, like before Ghost had taken on the Radiance but better late than never, right?”

“Hmm… I suppose I’ll help in any way I can then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Quirrel is here now too I guess. I didn't plan for that, it just kind of happened.
> 
> A bit past this point is what I had written up to when I decided to start uploading. I have since written more obviously but the next chapter gave me a bit of trouble and I'm still not entirely happy with it so I might do another big heavy edit or full rewrite to the part of it I'm most displeased with. So next chapter might take a bit longer to come out than these other chapters have.


	5. Resting Grounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not completely happy with this chapter, specifically the latter half with the Seer, but sometimes you just gotta accept that something ain't gonna be as good as you'd like it to be and just let it be good enough and upload it so you can move on to work on other things instead of continuing to stress about it.

On the way back to the Teacher’s Archive, Hornet filled Quirrel in on the specifics of the situation and what she needed his help with. She didn’t want to share that much information about her siblings and their suffering but Quirrel knowing the specifics might be important to his search. It was best not to takes chances with that kind of thing especially since she didn’t know how much he already knew or had regained memories of. He asked a few clarifying questions but tactfully didn’t press on anything sensitive such as Hornet’s connection to it all which he _didn’t_ need to know _._

When they arrived, he wasted no time. “I’d offer to teach you Monomon’s code so you could help but it’d probably take a while so… it might just be faster for me to look by myself,” he said before heading off to get to work, not even giving her time to reply if she’d wanted to.

That left her with nothing to do but wonder the halls with Grimmchild. … Maybe she should free him from the leash and muzzle. … Had he learned his lesson though? She couldn’t say for sure and she didn’t want to risk getting caught in an explosion to test it so no, she’d keep him leashed for now. She’d made sure nothing was tight enough to hurt him or cause any real physical discomfort so he’d be fine as he was for a while longer. If nothing else it should hammer home the point that he shouldn’t attack things that explode when hit _and_ that he should listen the first time when told to do or not do something.

***

Quirrel wanted nothing more than to leave his old life behind, start new and fresh somewhere else. He’d been in the process of trying to get Lemm to join him, mostly for the sake of a companion because he was tired of traveling alone. But it seems, he wasn’t quite done with Hallownest yet.

The vessel, Ghost as Hornet called them, was someone he’d grown to consider a friend. He’d thought they had everything handled, they certainly seemed more than capable enough, but it seems they hadn’t. They’d cracked too. Which was bad enough by itself but Monomon had died to allow them that opportunity to fix the Infection. Quirrel couldn’t let her death be in vain and he couldn’t leave his friend to suffer if he could help it.

And so, he scoured through the Archives, looking for any mention on how to enter the Dream Realm in a way that would allow one to kill a god there. Luckily, despite his spotty memories, his ability to read Monomon’s shorthand was still intact. His vague memories of his time working in these halls came in handy; he knew for sure which places not to look and had some ideas on where to begin.

He started with everything that had been archived about the Dream Realm itself. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, there wasn’t much, certainly nothing even speculating on how to access it. Next he looked into the Radiance herself because the Dream Realm was her domain. There was _a lot_ more about her, more than even Hornet had told him on the way up here. Though he quickly found out that most of it had to do with research done on the Infection and how to contain her in a vessel. He’d have to shift through that to find anything else. It’d take a while but he didn’t have any other leads. At least it was an interesting topic.

***

“I found something!” Quirrel called as he rounded the corner into the hallway Hornet was headed down. That had taken longer than she would’ve liked but not as long as it could’ve.

She picked up her pace to quickly met up with him. “What is it?” She didn’t dare get her hopes up too high yet but _hopefully_ he’d found something substantial.

“Well uh… it’s not a huge lead and might actually be a dead end now that I think about it,” well, wasn’t that just great? “but… there was apparently a tribe of moths that used to worship the Radiance before the Pale King arrived in Hallownest. There were rumors that they had a way of reading people’s minds and entering the Dream Realm. Alas, there’s not any information on how they did that or even if it’s true or really much about them at all. So uh… I might’ve gotten a bit excited over nothing substantial. It is rather fascinating though, so if nothing else at least we learned more of Hallownest’s past.”

Hornet had heard of the moth tribe before of course but never known that they had a way of supposedly entering the Dream Realm. If she had, her earlier connection about Ghost gaining that ability after she’d lost track of them of them in Crystal Peak would’ve lead her to a different part of Hallownest. “Actually, that might be huge,” she said. It might _not_ be but she was tired of wondering the Archive’s halls regardless.

“Uh… really?”

Not bothering to reply, she took off towards the exit, trusting him to follow or not as he pleased. She just wanted out of here and to finally _doing_ something again.

As much as she was in a rush, she did pause outside Fog Canyon to finally free Grimmchild of the thread. He’d been tethered and muzzled more than long enough and they would hopefully not have to venture back into Fog Canyon any time soon.

As soon as he was free, he hissed at her before flying in a large circle, spitting a few fireballs at nothing. He then flew back to start hovering behind Quirrel’s shoulder as he caught up with her. She was his aunt and he had the audacity to follow someone else just because she’d rightfully disciplined him? … Let him then, she didn’t care.

“Ah, hello little Grimm,” Quirrel said with small hand wave. “Nice of you to join me. Now uh… Hornet, I’d appreciate an explanation. The moth tribe is long gone so even if they could…”

“They have graveyard,” Hornet interrupted. “And I’m almost one hundred percent positive Ghost went there during the time period they gained the ability to travel to the Dream Realm.”

“Oh uh… yeah, I guess that’s a good lead then.”

Without further word, Hornet took off again.

Hornet had been to the Resting Grounds before of course – she’d had a long time to explore all of Hallownest – but she’d never really thought much of it. It was a graveyard of bugs she’d never known, what could there possibly be here that would be of interest to her? Nothing unless there was something here that could get her into the Dream Realm. She didn’t fancy the idea of graverobbing to get it but she’d do what she had to.

First, she had to wait for Quirrel and Grimmchild to catch up. Which thankfully they did fairly quickly.

“Are we going to be digging up graves?” Quirrel asked. “If so, we might want to go get some shovels first.” Well, he apparently didn’t mind the thought of doing such a thing so at least they wouldn’t be having an argument about it if it was necessary.

“I don’t know yet, let’s just explore the place some first.” Hornet resumed walking, going much slower now. She wanted to continue rushing but she didn’t know what they were looking for so slow going and careful examination along the way it was. “Tell me if you spot anything interesting, you too Grimmchild.”

Looking much more closely than she ever had before during her brief prior visits, Hornet couldn’t help but notice that the graves, though old enough for the lettering to be starting to wear away on more than a few of them, seemed to be well tended. Odd, why would anyone bother to take care the graves of a people long gone? Especially in a kingdom so devoid of life. … It also had to mean someone lived nearby that Hornet didn’t know about, right? A discomforting notion considering how long she’d watched over the land while thinking she knew of everyone who inhabited it.

Eventually after reaching and climbing most of the way up a vertical cavern, it was starting to look like they weren’t going to find anything without doing some digging. She was _not_ looking forward to digging up a bunch of graves. She was determined though so…

“Ah, about time you should up!”

Hornet jumped, whipping out her needle to point at… a little old moth using a cane to walk as she approached out of the shadows of a smaller cave. She looked harmless but one could never know for sure so Hornet didn’t dare lower her needle yet.

“I’ve been expecting you,” the old moth continued, seemingly unphased by the needle pointed in her direction.

“Who are you?” Hornet didn’t like this. “And what do you mean you’ve been ‘expecting’ us?”

“You can just call me Seer. And what else could I mean by ‘I’ve been expecting you’ than exactly that? I knew Hallownest’s princess would find her way here eventually. You’re looking for a way to access the Dream Realm, correct?”

Hornet flinched a little, she didn’t like someone knowing who she was and what her goals were when she knew next to nothing about them. Before she could reply though, Quirrel stepped forward to stand beside her.

“Yep, that’s what we’re here for,” he said, seemingly unbothered by this whole situation. “I’m Quirrel, this is Hornet, and this,” he pointed up to Grimmchild still hovering just behind him, “is Grimmchild. We’re looking for a way to enter the Dream Realm so we can kill the Radiance. She’s been causing problems for far too long and there’s a friend of ours that we wish to save from her. I assume since you know what we’re looking for, you can help, right?”

“Yes, I can. Follow me.” Seer turn and started back into her cave.

Quirrel started following her with no hesitation. With a sigh, Hornet forced herself to relax and sheathe her needle at last and follow suit. She was still _not_ a fan of this situation but it probably wasn’t dangerous and if this did lead to a way to kill the Radiance, putting up with it would be _more_ than worth it.

Inside the cave was obviously Seer’s home. Most of the space was taken up by a nest of pillows that the Seer had already settled on. Quirrel sat down in front of her, resting his nail down on the ground beside him, he kept a hand near its hilt though so he wasn’t quite as nonchalant about all this as he seemed on the surface. Grimmchild settled on the pillows, the furthest from the Seer though so he wasn’t completely chill either. Hornet however was far too anxious to sit down so she stayed standing for now.

“How do get into the Dream Realm?” she asked as Seer started pulling out a tea set as if she were planning on serving them tea of all things.

Unphased, Seer continued her tea preparations. “The most efficient way to get into the Dream Realm for the purposes you wish to enter is by using a Dream Nail on an unconscious or near-unconscious bug.”

“Great, where do we get one?”

“Or two,” Quirrel added. “I’ve already come this far in this quest, I’d like to continue if possible.”

“I can give you each one but only in the Dream Realm.”

“That doesn’t help much then.” Hornet didn’t bother trying to hide her displeasure.

“No need to get feisty dear, that’s what the tea is for. I said the Dream Nail is the most efficient way into the Dream Realm, not the only way.”

“So, you’re going to drug us?” Hornet interrupted before she could say more. That wasn’t a pleasant idea but… there probably wasn’t any other choice.

“Yes. It’s mostly harmless though, you should come out the other side feeling nothing but a little groggy. My people used it frequently with little consequence.”

“Your people being the old moth tribe that worshipped the Radiance?” Quirrel asked, seemingly more fascinated by that than the fact that Seer was planning on drugging them.

“Yes. I’m the last.” Suddenly Seer sounded a lot more somber.

Like with Hornet, Quirrel had the tact not to press any further, staying silent instead. Holding back a sigh, Hornet lowered herself to sit beside him.

“Watch her while I do this,” she said. “Make sure she doesn’t do anything she’s not supposed to while I sleep.”

“Hmm… I’d love to but, like I said, I’d like this Dream Nail thing too. How can I assist in killing the Radiance without one after all?”

Hornet was tempted to object; perhaps she didn’t need his help with that part after all but… even if she didn’t want to admit it, she might. Killing a god wasn’t something to be taken lightly after all. And besides, he had very good reason to want the Radiance dead too; he’d been close to Monomon – in what way Hornet wasn’t sure but definitely very close – he wouldn’t want her death to be in vain just like how Hornet didn’t want Herrah’s to be. And the questions he’d asked about Ghost while she’d explained things to him suggested he was fond of them and possibly even consider them a friend. So she couldn’t deny his help, when he was actively offering it.

“Little Grimm can watch over us though, can’t you buddy?” he continued looking over at Grimmchild on the pillows, watching the three of them. He chirped what sounded like an affirmative in reply.

“Good,” the Seer cut in. “With that settled, it’s nearly tea time.”

Hornet rarely remembered her dreams and even when she did, they were never vivid. But here, if she didn’t know better she’d think she was still awake. She was standing on a platform, floating in a bright sky and surrounded by clouds.

“This place is actually quite lovely.”

She snapped around to see that Quirrel was standing beside her. Which actually made sense, they’d come here together so why wouldn’t they remain so. Grimmchild was flying just behind him though.

“Grimmchild, you’re supposed to be keeping watch,” Hornet said, giving him a stern look.

Grimmchild paused for a second before turning to look at her. He then made an apologetic sounding chirp before vanishing, leaving behind a few red symbols in the air that quickly faded too. As suspected though, he could come in and out of the Dream Realm as he pleased.

“Now let’s figure out what we’re supposed to do.” Hornet grabbed Quirrel’s wrist again and started dragging him towards the edge of the platform. Before the reached it another one appeared a short distance away. They both easily made the jump and the next one after that and so on until they reached a platform with a glowing moth on it, presumably Seer even if it didn’t look much like her.

“Here,” she said. “It’s long past time this stasis came to an end.” She lifted her arms and two bundles of light shaped like nails appeared before them.

Without hesitation, Quirrel grabbed the hilt of his. He vanished with a flash of light, presumably returning to the waking world. Not letting herself hesitate, Hornet followed suit; there weren’t any other options available.

She woke feeling rather groggy and sluggish, looking up at Quirrel standing over her. Wordlessly he held out a hand, offering to help her stand up. She wouldn’t normally accept such an offer but whatever, they were allies in this so she might as well.

Back on her feet, she glanced around the cave. They were in the exact same spot they’d been in when they’d gone to sleep. Seer was there too, looking up at them.

Hornet reached for the Dream Nail, instinctively knowing there was no physical component to it, making it more a spell than anything else. She still wasn’t sure how to use it but asking Seer to explain the ins and outs of it shouldn’t take too long. Then they’d be off to kill the Radiance at long last.


	6. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried really hard to write a proper fight scene, it's why this chapter took so long to come out, but it just wasn't happening. And the harder I tried to force myself through the more frustrated and discouraged I got so I settled on handling the Radiance fight the way you'll see in this chapter. It's not as epic as I wanted it to be but the focus of he story has always been more about their relationships anyway so it's not the end of the world.

Hornet was taking longer to return than she’d said she would, a lot longer. Which should’ve been fine but… Hollow was lonely. Since dragging themself out of the Black Egg, they hadn’t been alone for any significant length of time. Though compared to how long they’d been alone in the Egg, this was nothing. So they were fine, this was _fine_!

They stood up anyway and walked over to peer out the window. Maybe they should go look for them? Hornet was more than capable of taking care of herself and Grimmchild _had_ to be with her so they should both be perfectly fine. But… if the Pale King could die then so could Hornet. Hollow couldn’t bear the thought of losing her especially after just learning of their father’s death. So… they side stepped to the door and opened it to poke their head out.

Normally they didn’t leave the house unless Hornet brought them out either for a walk or to train with their nail for a bit. But like it or not, they had emotions and thus they were worried about their sister and Grimmchild. They were worried about their chained sibling too as well as the entirety of Hallownest. … They were worried just in general.

So, unable to stay still for any longer, they stepped outside. Now… where to go to find Hornet? She was working on finding a way to access the Dream Realm, where would she go to do that? … Hollow had no idea. Their entire world consisted of the Abyss, the White Palace, the Black Egg, and now Dirtmouth, they’d never been anywhere else except for while passing through. They’d heard of places like the City of Tears and Teacher’s Archive but didn’t have even the faintest clue where they might be or how to get to them. So… the only starting point they had was down the well into Hallownest proper.

They started for it, not letting themself look right or left in an attempt to at least hide their worry from the outside world since they couldn’t bury it within themself. Not that there were many people out and about right now, just Elderbug next to the bench, even Zote was currently inside somewhere.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out and about all by yourself,” Elderbug said when Hollow inevitably ended up passing by him. They could’ve gone around and snuck past him but they were so used to faking to themself that they didn’t care about such things that the thought not to take the shortest past hadn’t occurred to them until just now. Alas it was far too late.

They gave him a small shrug in response because how else were they expected to respond? They preferred being primarily ignored like how the knights and dignitaries at the White Palace had treated them.

“It’s good to see. Don’t hesitate to rest on the bench if you need it, I wouldn’t mind the company.” … Well at least he was kind, that was honestly kind of nice even if Hollow knew even less how to respond to that.

They nodded at him before moving on.

Upon reaching the well, they looked down it, hoping against hope that maybe Hornet would be down there, about ready to start ascending. Alas, they had no such luck. So, after double checking to make sure that their nail was attached firmly to their back, they vaulted over the edge. They landed at the bottom with a small thunk. Getting back up would be hard with only one arm but that was a problem for the future that hopefully Hornet would be there to help them with like she had when they’d gone up initially. For now, they picked a direction and started walking.

They ended up going to the Black Egg Temple. They hadn’t intended to, it just kind of happened in part because so nearby. Ghost was in the Egg inside, chained and suffering and it was Hollow’s fault. … They should’ve tried to tell Hornet that their sibling wasn’t hollow sooner, insisted that she help them. Then they wouldn’t have been chained up in there alone for so long and maybe they wouldn’t have cracked. It was too late now though but at least Hollow had finally said something.

And now that Hornet knew and was working on the problem, she would fix it. … But then again, Hollow had had that same kind of confidence and unwavering belief in the Pale King and that had turned out like this and with him dead. So… maybe Hornet _couldn’t_ fix it? She was a demi-god but even gods could fail and die as proven by the Pale King. Having complete confidence in her might just lead to more disappointment, sadness, and possibly even suffering. … Hoping she could fix it was fine though, right? Maybe, maybe not, either way it was all Hollow had left. … It wasn’t much.

They turned and left, more eager than before to not be alone with their thoughts. It wasn’t long before they encountered an Infected husk. They cut it down with ease. It actually felt almost good to use their nail for something real for once. Enough that following that, they may have even gone a bit out of their way to find and take down more husks. They didn’t know where they were headed anyway so they might as well relieve some stress along the way.

They’d just finished taking down a group of them when…

“Hollow?!”

They looked over to see Hornet approaching. Good! Their search for her was done and she was safe. But where was Grimmchild?

“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “Besides killing husks.”

They didn’t reply. They’d left the parchment and quill back home so they couldn’t answer properly even if they’d been inclined to. Which they weren’t because admitting they’d been starting to worry about her wasn’t a confession they wanted to make because they weren’t meant to feel anything at all. And it was a rather silly thing to be worried about, Hornet was probably better at taking care of herself than Hollow was.

She looked like she was going to say more but was interrupted by a blue bug and Grimmchild coming around the corner. “You sure do like to go fast, huh?” the blue bug said as caught all the way up. “And ah, the Hollow Knight themself. It is nice to meet you. Your sister has told me a fair bit about you and your sibling’s plight. I’m Quirrel.” He gave Hollow a slight bow.

Hollow bowed back because, judging by the fancy nail at his side, he was a knight and therefore that was the proper response.

“Now,” Quirrel said as both of them straightened. “Let’s go kill the Radiance, shall we?” Oh? He was going to help with that? That also had to mean Hornet had found a way to access the Dream Realm. Good! … Now all they had to do was kill a god. Hopefully both of them were up to it, Hollow certainly wasn’t even if it was possible for them to try.

Hornet nodded before leaping to lead the way back towards the Black Egg Temple.

Quirrel, Grimmchild hovering behind his shoulder, fell in step with Hollow as they started following her. But counter to their expectations, he didn’t say anything. He seemed content to walk beside them in silence. It was a nice change of pace from most people Hollow knew/had known, they liked him already.

It didn’t take long to reach the Temple again; Hollow hadn’t strayed far from it. Hornet was waiting for them inside, standing by the Egg itself.

“This is where you come in,” she said, looking at Hollow. “None of use can afford to spend any significant amount of time in there. So we need you to go in, free Ghost of their chains, incapacitate them and then bring them out here. Do you think you can do that?”

Hollow would rather never go into the Black Egg ever again but… they didn’t have a choice. They were the only one who could go in safely and they _had_ to save Ghost. If was their fault Ghost was in this mess and Ghost had saved them. So, resisting the urge to hesitate, they nodded. They could do this for their sibling.

“Good. I have some thread you can use to tie them up. You’ll probably have to knock them unconscious or at least stun them for a while too.” She pulled out a long string of thread out of one her dress’ inner pockets and held it up towards Hollow. “Once they’re out here, we’ll handle the rest, okay?”

Hollow nodded as they wrapped the thread loosely around their neck so they wouldn’t lose it. They then turned back to face the Black Egg and pulled the door open.

“Good luck,” Quirrel said, his tone strangely cheery when considering the seriousness of what they were all doing here. Grimmchild mewled in seeming agreement, flying a quick circle around all their heads.

Strangely encouraged by such tiny things, Hollow stepped into the Black Egg. The long hall to the center quickly proved to feel _much_ shorter than dragging themself along it had made it seem thus it was far too soon before they were facing Ghost again. Their mask was cracked, their eyes filled with the poison light of Infection. … Hollow couldn’t bear to look at them.

They felt almost sick with shame and sorrow. This was _their_ fault; Ghost shouldn’t have been made to go through that. If Hollow had been as pure as they were supposed to be, as the Pale King had believed them to be, then this wouldn’t have happened. It _shouldn’t_ have! … Despairing about it wouldn’t help fix it though.

Hollow forced themself to look back up at Ghost. If only they had a way to assure them that it would be okay; that Hornet and her new friend Quirrel would do their best to save the day. But even if they had a way to speak, Ghost wouldn’t be able to understand much of their words anyway, their mind was too full of the Radiance’s light.

They unwound the thread from around their neck as they approached at last. With the chains in the way and only one arm to work with, winding it around Ghost proved to be rather difficult. But it was thin enough to fit under the chains when pulled the right way and they were quite used to having only one arm by now so they eventually got something that should be good enough, tying it tight in the back. It wouldn’t do much more than bind Ghost’s arms to their sides but that should be enough to prevent them from attacking at least.

Speaking of that though, Hollow bent down to collect Ghost’s nail on the floor. It was small enough that they could mostly fit it in one of the inner pockets in their cloak. Ghost would probably want it when this was all done, might as well save them a trip back into this wretched place.

Next, after checking once more that Ghost’s arms were bound tight to their sides, Hollow drew their own nail and struck the nearest chain, breaking it. They had vague memories of watching Ghost break with their chains, making this feel a bit weird but they didn’t let that slow them.

After breaking the final chain, Ghost fell to the floor with a loud clatter. The Radiance released a roar from within them, making Hollow flinch and tremble. Ghost at least was thoroughly bound, straining uselessly against Hornet’s thread.

Steeling themself, Hollow approached and crouched down beside them. They hated to do it but it had to be done so… they shifted their grip on their nail so that the butt of its hilt would be pointed straight down. They struck Ghost with it, right where the crack in their mask was. They went still for several moments but alas, only stunned, they soon started struggling again. So, Hollow struck again, a bit harder this time. Thankfully they went limp; thoroughly incapacitated just like how Hornet wanted. How long it would last was impossible to say with the Infection coursing through them, so Hollow should probably hurry.

They quickly hung their nail on their back before grabbing Ghost by a horn. They would’ve preferred to carry Ghost in a more dignified way but there was no way to pick them up like that with one arm that wasn’t slow and awkward and they’d prefer not to have to knock Ghost out again even more. So, holding them close but awkwardly, they straightened and fast walked out.

***

The Radiance’s burning bright light and anger drowned out everything else, especially Ghost’s own thoughts and feelings. So, when much of her attention turned away from them, they noticed. But even with their thoughts back, they were disorientated and thus it took them a bit to realize what was happening.

Hornet was here? So was Quirrel and Grimmchild? … Why though? And _how_? It didn’t make sense. … The Radiance hated them, she wanted them gone; she was trying to kill them. … Oh no! Ghost needed to help them. … They couldn’t though, the Radiance still had them in her thrall. Which meant Hornet, Grimmchild and Quirrel were going to…

Actually no, they were fighting back. More than holding their own too based off the Radiance’s slowly growing fear and desperation as well as increased anger. She refused to fade away and die and refused to be killed. She was going to kill any bug that got in the way of that.

Despite her determination, she was slowly but surely pushed steadily back. She was losing! Ghost’s joy about that made her angrier, distracting her and causing her to take a slash strong enough to deflate Ummu from Quirrel straight to the face. Half blind now, the wound gushed essence as she retreated but not fast enough to avoid more fire from Grimmchild and a barrage of spiked balls from Hornet.

The three of them chased her, clearly intent on killing her. … That’s what they were here to do, wasn’t it? Kill her and save Ghost. … No one had ever done anything like that for them before, they hadn’t thought anyone ever would either. They probably wouldn’t have believed it if the evidence wasn’t undeniable before them.

The Radiance eventually reached a point she couldn’t retreat any further. There wasn’t much room to fight up here but Hornet and Quirrel somehow managed anyway, taking turns attacking her and dodging with Grimmchild right beside them providing backup via a constant barrage of fireballs.

It was Hornet who delivered the final blow, leaping up high and tossing her needle into the large slash made Quirrel’s nail earlier. The Radiance roared in anger and pain as Hornet dashed forward to push it in deeper, twisting it inside her and pulling it down but not out, making the wound to her core even bigger. Essence poured out of it like a like a geyser, fill the Dreamscape with light as the Radiance died.

The next moment Ghost was awake, staring up at the ceiling of the temple. Their head pounded, making them feel a bit dizzy even before moving. Trying to move a hand up to touch where the pain radiated from resulted in them learning that their arms were bound rather tightly. Why would…

A happy mewl came from beside them a half second before they were engulfed in exceedingly warm wings. It was Grimmchild, he was much bigger and apparently very happy to see them as he nuzzled them while making happy sounds. If only Ghost could return his affections because they were quite pleased to see him again too.

“Grimmchild, I know you’re happy to see them but you need to move so I can untie them.” That was Hornet. She sounded exhausted but relieved.

Grimmchild made a noise of complaint but moved aside, allowing Hornet to lean in and untie whatever was keeping Ghost bound. She helped them sit up so she could unwind it fully. As soon as it was off it though, she… hugged them.

Ghost froze. They’d never been hugged before, what were they supposed to do? And it was _Hornet_! She was their sister yes but… she wasn’t the type to hug people, even those important to her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they were stone-still in her arms. “I shouldn’t have… let you do that. I just didn’t think there was another way. Or… at least I should’ve done something sooner. I’m sorry.”

Ghost nodded as they relaxed, even returning her hug as they’d seen other bugs do when hugged by a loved one. With another chirp, Grimmchild’s wings were suddenly around them again and Hornet too this time, forcing them a bit closer. It was a bit awkward but… nice; hugs were nice.

***

“Why don’t you join them?” Quirrel whispered to Hollow who was staring at their siblings and Grimmchild hugging. What they were thinking was impossible for him to know but if he had to guess, it’d be that they wanted in on that group hug. They certainly deserved to be included in it.

True to that guess, Hollow only hesitated for a few seconds before crouching down beside them. They had only one arm so it was bit awkward but they managed to pull their family close, the three of them even adjusted themselves to help Hollow join them.

It was honestly one of the most beautiful things Quirrel had ever seen. The dregs of a broken family reunited at last, long overdue for sure. As nice as it was, Quirrel was a bit of an intruder here though. This should be a private family moment.

So, even though he was eager to talk to Ghost again and express he was happy that they were all right and that the Radiance was defeated, he turned and left for now. He, like them, Hornet and Hollow, could finally move on from his past as well as Hallownest’s. All of them were at long last free to do as they pleased. … He had a lot to explain to Lemm first though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was contemplating writing an epilogue about how Ghost, Hollow, and Hornet start moving on from all the Radiance stuff as a family (with Grimmchild there too of course) but I think I actually like it being more opened ended. Y'all can imagine for yourselves how they might start putting their lives back together.


End file.
